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E-BENCH <=> <=>
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The E-Mail Newsletter
for Bench Jewelers
May 2006
Volume 7 Issue 05
circulation over 4,200
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ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
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E-BENCH is a FREE monthly newsletter for Retail
Jewelry Store Owners, Shop Managers, Bench
Jewelers and anyone else that is interested.
We encourage you to forward this newsletter to
anyone that you think may benefit from it,
provided you forward all of it without
modification and not just portions of it.
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and all rights are reserved!
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E-BENCH is sent to you each month FREE of
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E-BENCH is a BENCH MEDIA Publication
BENCH MEDIA is a division of
B W Simon International
Bradney W Simon – Publisher
Daniel R. Spirer - Proofreader
daniel@spirerjewelers.com
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United Precious
Metal Refining
Simply
the Best
The
Ganoksin Project
www.ganoksin.com
The Gem and Jewelry Pre-Eminent Online
Resources. Open to the
public
Free of
Charge.
A substantial library of articles,
publications, reports, and technical data on
gem and jewelry related topics; as well as a
sizable collection of art and jewelry
galleries, for both the casual visitor and the
professional, also host the popular Orchid
online forums for jewelers.
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<=>
<=> <=> TIPS FOR JEWELERS <=>
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Tips for Jewelers Who Do Repairs
From Alan Revere
The Sky is the Limit
To work with control and exactness, you have to
be able to see like a hawk. You need to see
when surfaces are flat, when corners are
square, when prongs make full contact – and to
recognize a difference of 0.1 mm!
Here is one way to look at jewelry so that you
can see the finest, most precise details: Hold
your work up against a bright sky – or a bright
wall or light, so that all you can see is the
silhouette of the work piece. Now turn and
examine the silhouette, because it is very
revealing. Using this technique, you can see
the sliver of light under a prong. You can
clearly see if an edge of gold is flat when
held against a steel ruler. And you can see if
the two sides of a seam are really flush. And
once you see them, you can correct them.
Apply this simple technique, and you will add
precision in everything you do. And the more
exacting you are the more success you will
achieve – in fact, the sky is the limit!
This tip is from 101 Bench Tips for Jewelers
written by Alan Revere and published by
MJSA/AJM Press.
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QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING
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We grow great by dreams. All big men are
dreamers. They see things in the soft haze of
a spring day or in the red fire of a long
winters evening. Some of us let these great
dreams die, but others nourish and protect
them; nurse them through bad days till they
bring them to the sunshine and light which
comes always to those who sincerely hope that
their dreams will come true.
Woodrow Wilson
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<=> <=> E-BENCH SPONSOR <=>
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For over 60 years,
jewelry supplier, has provided quality
products, unsurpassed selection and legendary
service to help professional jewelers succeed.
* Gems & Findings division offers finished
jewelry, findings and gemstones
* Display & Packaging division offers
innovative display and packaging
* Tools division offers equipment and supplies
Call us at 1-800-545-6566 or visit us at
www.riogrande.com.
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<=>
<=> <=> COLORED STONES <=>
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Learn all about handling colored stones from
gemstone cutter
ANDALUSITE
Not commonly seen in recent years, andalusite
can be a real beauty. When properly cut, the
stone displays two colors at once (this effect
is called pleochroism); in the case of a long
oval, light olive green in the middle and pink
to brownish-red on each end. This is
definitely an attention-getter!
Named after the locality where it was first
discovered,
primary source today, with some material coming
from
are in the 1-5 carat range, with nice stones
over 10 carats quite rare.
The Mohs hardness has been reported at anywhere
from 6.5 to 7.5, so it is quite hard, but
andalusite is somewhat brittle, and care should
be used in setting.
Bezels are not advised.
One to three carat stones wholesale from $50-75
per carat in fine quality, up to $90 per carat
in extra fine quality when well cut. Five to
ten carat stones, when available, range up to
$275 per carat.
Aside from the slight brittleness, andalusite
presents no handling difficulties, but direct
heat or sudden heat changes should be avoided.
Pickle is not a problem, nor is ultrasonic
cleaning.
You can contact
wayne_emery@msn.com
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QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING
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A pessimist sees the difficulty in every
opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity
in every difficulty.
Winston Churchill
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Jewelry Dealers
World Trade Network
http://www.JewelryDealersNetwork.com
<=> Bench Jeweler Discussion Channel <=>
Ask questions, share tips, and take part in the
ongoing discussions, or just read and take in
all the advice from many excellent jewelers
from around the world.
Membership includes: Topical Discussion
Channels, including
Bench Work, CAD-CAM, Stone Setting, and many
more. You may buy, sell
and trade on the
Buy/Sell Channels, Plus Much More.
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Tips & Tricks from
When it comes to recovering precious metal,
nothing is worthless. However, when you walk
into many repair shops you will find people
behaving as if it were. Many people do not
realize what a valuable asset their scrap is,
and have been pleasantly surprised by the
amount of additional revenues received from a
refiner when a clean and orderly shop is
maintained.
A dirty shop affects profits, because of the
high value of the metal that is lost. Small
pieces of gold on the floor from filing,
buffing, and other operations in the shop,
cling to the bottom of shoes. If the floor is
not swept regularly, the gold literally walks
out the door of the shop. If not collected at
the source, gold dust is spread around the
shop. It is then carried out of the shop on
workers hands, clothes, and shoes.
When accumulating scrap always keep in mind
this thought:
WHEN IN DOUBT, DO NOT THROW IT OUT.
You can contact Brad at Brad@BWSimon.com
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QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING
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In order to succeed, you must know what you are
doing, like what you are doing, and believe in
what you are doing.
Will
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<=> <=> E-BENCH SPONSOR <=>
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Southeastern Findings
Southeastern Findings has been a leader in the
wholesale jewelry business for the past 27
years servicing the Independent Jeweler. We
are Findings, Diamonds, Wedding Bands, Jewelry
Boxes, Platinum, Batteries, Tools, and So Much
More.
Call us Today at 1-800-282-8285 or visit us on
the World Wide Web www.sefindings.com
Namano /
Southeastern Findings
Your Home for
Southern Hospitality
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AT THE PLATINUM BENCH
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Tips that make working with Platinum or
working at the bench in general easier-
from Jurgen J. Maerz CMBJ,
Director of Technical Education
for Platinum Guild International
http://www.pgi-platinum-tech.com
MAKING A BETTER BENCH PIN
Cutting Prong Seats Safely
By filing a small groove into your bench pin,
you can make the task of cutting stone seats
into prongs much easier. Simply rest the prong
in the groove as you cut the seat. This will
eliminate the danger of having the bur travel
around the prong if you slip; instead, it will
end up in the wood.
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Platinum Guild International and Bench Media
Present – Bench Seminars
Master Level Seminars presented by two of the
Industrys Foremost Seminar Leaders. Seminars
include: Platinum Bench Techniques, Advanced
Fabrication, Advanced Stone Setting, and Bench
Tips & Other Tricks.
Seminar Leaders
will present these seminars in
28th,
Angeles) August 25th,
22nd, and
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QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING
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is dressed in overalls and looks like work.
Thomas Edison
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BENCH
VISION
A Video Magazine for
Bench Jewelers on DVD
Each quarterly issue contains 1 hour of video
training including: Stone Setting, Jewelry
Repair, and Custom Jewelry Manufacturing. Plus
Bench Tips, Bench Visits, and New Product
Reviews.
Only $95 per year in the
and Only $125 per year for oversea delivery.
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<=> Gemz from Gerry <=>
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Stone setting tips from Gemz Diamond Setting
http://www.gemzdiamondsetting.com/index.html
by Gerald N. Lewy
Be careful when bead setting diamonds
that the metal is thick enough to set the
diamond down into the metal. The absolute
minimum for .01 - .03 pointers is
0.75 millimeters.
Before accepting items for repairs, examine
for wear on the supporting gallery. Many times
the supporting gallery is worn thin as well as
the prong tips. You will not have a
satisfactory repair if you only rebuild the
prong tips.
For bezel work, it is far easier to make a
new bezel, for the original stone than to waste
your time with the worn down gold. The
finished results will be more gratifying to you
and the customer.
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QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING
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Nothing can stop the man with the right mental
attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on
earth can help the man with the wrong mental
attitude
Thomas Jefferson
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www.BWSimon.com/BenchVision
JewelersTraining.com
JewelersTraining.com is the first and finest On
Demand Jewelry Video Training Website.
JewelersTraining.com is designed by Jewelers
for Jewelers. Our
mission is to provide
jewelers with the best online jewelry education
with On Demand Videos and other training
resources.
Log onto JewelersTraining.com Today and sign-up
for our free educational newsletter.
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<=> WORKSHOP SAFETY FOR
JEWELERS <=> <=>
Workshop Safety Tips From Charles Lewton-Brian
Dilution ventilation is used in many shops,
where you open a window next to you, and
another one elsewhere, so that air passes you
on its way out. Dilution ventilation is not
generally an effective approach. What we
really want most of the time is local
ventilation, which means a sucking device, slot
or tube very close to the working area that is
generating the dust, mist or fumes so they are
sucked away as they are produced, in other
words removed entirely from the workshop and
vented safely (i.e. not near a makeup air
intake).
Jewelers cast metals frequently in making
ingots for sheet and wire, sand casting, vacuum
and centrifugal investment casting and so on.
The investment burnout process normally occurs
in kilns and, depending upon the wax or even
plastic used, the fumes can be from mildly
toxic to extremely toxic, and in many cases are
fairly polluting. Usually jewelers cast gold
and silver alloys, sometimes other metals like
platinum, brass, and more rarely tin and zinc
(white metals being spin cast) in the small
workshop. Alloys may contain other metals
which produce hazardous fumes such as lead,
cadmium, beryllium, arsenic, and antimony.
Nickel, is considered a suspect metal now, and
manganese and chromium are also to be avoided.
For more information on Workshop safety from
Charles Lewton-Brian log onto:
http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/safety.htm
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QUOTE WORTH RE-QUOTING <=> <=>
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit,
but with humility of mind let each of you
regard one another as more important than
himself; do not merely look out for your own
personal interest, but also for the interest of
others.
Philippians 2: 3-4
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United Precious
Metal Refining
United is a full service refiner for Gold,
Silver, Platinum, & Palladium. We specialize
in Refining for the jewelry Industry,
processing everything from sweeps to karat
scrap.
Technical assistance on all phases of
manufacturing and jewelry casting is only a
phone call away. Call
us today at
1-800-999-3463 or visit us online at
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Thank You for
We are on the World Wide Web.
Visit us at http://www.BWSimon.com
A complete archive of back issues of E-BENCH is
located there.
Visit often, as we will be making changes to
our site, adding additional useful information
for bench jewelers.
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<=> SUBSCRIPTION
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Information provided in this document is
provided As Is without warranty of any kind,
either expressed or implied. This publication
is designed to provide accurate and
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Copyrighted, 2006, BENCH MEDIA.
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